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Ragtags volume 1:
This is the Story of the RagTags, a tribe of hybrid dragons living in the rain forest and forest around the mountains. It follows Forest Shroom, Marsh, Pine, and Virginia as they discover their true selves, and what they were created to be. But things are not as they seem the the peaceful RagTag kingdom . . . RAGTAGS VOLUME is the beginning of the RagTags, and how they came to be in the RagTag forest. Prologue Inside a hollowed tree, just as the sun was setting beneath the peaks of the mountains, five small dragons were told their story.' ' ' They sat in a rough circle around a big jade colored one with dark golden amber eyes. “Mother, tell us a story before we sleep!” A dark brown dragonet spoke. She had deep green eyes that glittered like dark emeralds. She curled up on the jade dragon’s tail. “Yes! Aunty, please tell us about our ancestors!” A gold dragonet spoke, her, her clear purple eyes wide. She lay down with her wings splayed to the left of the brown dragonet. “Pineneedle, sit back down!” The green dragon swatted the gold dragonet’s snout affectionately with the tip of her tail. “Yes, Mushroom, I will tell you . . . “ A tall, bulky dragon comes through the doorway. His gold scales shimmer in the dull light, and his deep blue eyes shimmer with an odd sadness. “Saxifrage, Queen Sahara . . . has summoned you to the Gate.”' Saxifrage’s eyes fill with grief. This meeting could only mean . . . no . . .' The elderly queen was close to passing . . . Saxifrage knew that the Queen wanted her to witness her will. That was the only reason the Queen would pull her from her duty of tending these dragonets . . .' She met Odin’s eyes. He nodded slightly, the sadness growing in his deep eyes.'' Sahara and her mate, Rainn, planned to pass the throne on to their second egg and only daughter, Sage. That was written in the will. . . . But the Queen . . . she would only need her to witness if. . . if . . . No . . . not yet . . . they need her here! THe took a breath. “One minute, Odin. I am putting these dragonets to sleep.” Odin smiled. “I will tell her you will be with her shortly.” He left the cave. Thunder boomed outside, announcing the coming storm. A small blue female dragonet with gentle sea green eyes curled her tail around Mushroom’s. “Saxifrage, who was I named for?” “A great Queen, Marsh. The first of all the RagTags.” A small RainWing spoke up, his electric blue scales sparkling with his crystalline eyes. He plopped down next to Marsh. “Aunt Saxifrage, who was I named for?” “Richmond, you are named for Virginia. Ah . . .” Princess Virginia, one of the first royals, was still alive. The founder’s spell that caused all RagTags to live longer was complex, and affected her so her lifespan was immense. “She is such a ray of sunshine . . . even as her passing draws near. . . .” Marsh scooted closer, and climbed up on Mushroom’s back. “So tell us, Aunty!” Saxifrage smiled. Such small beings, yet so curious . . . “Hatchlings, Your story- and theirs- begins on the brightest night. In the Emerald Forest, the middle RagTag kingdom. It was storming, and only four founders were there at the time . . . gales of wing pounded down, and thunder boomed . . .” And that, my dear friends, is how the RagTag Kingdom was made. . . . Chapter One The three moons brightly illuminated the Emerald Forest that surrounded the Jade Mountain Range. They heavy, wet autumn air could not decide weather it was mist or rain, and the humid air caused much precipitation, creating delicate dewdrops that formed all over the leaves of the forest. Thousands of trees had grown there for centuries, though out of all of them, only one came close to halfway up the sharp, scraggly points of the Jade Mountain. At the top of this tallest one, a spruce, sat four dragons, chilled by the night air. Two of them were blue, the others, red, and silver. The moonlight reflected off the pearlescent scales, sending fluttering drops of moonlight everywhere. The four dragons sat in silence, in a perfect four point formation around something small and silvery atop a large platform, disguised by the mossy covering. They were waiting. Waiting for it to happen. When it happened, the future of Pyrria would change forever. . . . and hopefully, for the better. Pyrria would never be the same. The dragons were also worried, very worried. The starlight reflected off their snouts, winking off the glittering object. What if it didn't work? So much effort had gone into The Project. So many dragons had spent their lives working on it. The others would work as well, but it.....it was the first. If it didn't work, none of the others would. The silence was broken by the second blue dragon, a skywing. Her deep iridescent scales shimmers in the light of the three moons. "when will the others arrive?" She whispered. "Shh!" Hissed another. A seawing. "They need to be here, it is happining soon!" The blue skywing complained. "Hush, Azure. They'll come in time...." The other skywing, bright red in color, wrapped his wing around her and pulled her close. "They wouldn't miss it." The blue skywing dragon, named Azure seemed comforted by his touch. Her tense shoulders relaxed, but her worried expression remained. "Only five more minutes though....." The other blue dragon looked at Azure, then at the crimson SkyWing next to her. He curled his tail around the soft needles of the spruce, softly rustling the branches. “Lightning, you expect too much of them. They might be too worried about what the SkyWings would do us if they knew we were so close to their territory. By us, I mean Coquina, me, Snowflake, and Forst.” The blue SeaWing was a pale, shimmery aqua-green, and something next to his eye sparkled under the light of the moon. "Forst and Snowflake have nothing to worry about if they don’t show up, Octopus. That’s one of the reasons Webs refused the calling.” Coquina, the other SeaWing, stretched out to get more comfortable. She was the silver dragon, oddly colored for a SeaWing. She brushed her wings against Octopus’s. A sudden rustle from below stopped all movement from the dragons. "what was that?" Octopus whisperd. "I don't know, i'm going to check it out." Lightning said quietly. He slowly crept over to the edge of the tree and looked Down. The others were frozen tense with fear. His face relaxed in a grin. "Willow, Sludge, welcome!" Lightning reached down a talon to help up the two mudwings, presumably a couple. Willow was a pretty, strong looking mudwing with, on closer inspection, gills and glowing stripes. Sludge was a beefy mudwing who's scales had a yellowish tinge to them, and has three small poisonous barbs at the end of his tail. In fact, all the dragons sitting around the object looked a little..... Odd. Azure has gills like willow, she also had odd frills at the end of her jawbone. Coquina had long fangs on her upper jaw, as well as spines on her tails. Lightning had wings that looked.... Off. He aslo had a heavier structure than skywings normally do. And Octupus had two, faint silver teardrop scales on his temples. The reason for all of this was these dragons were not just one species. They were two, or three species. An this was their mission. To combine species. The opaque object at the center was a shinning egg. The moonlight seemed to be absorbed in it shell, the undertone of rainbow life seemed to shimmer, reflected in the dewdrops. All six dragons sat in formation now, the three moons slowly moving into a heavenly line in the sky. It was hatching. The hatching of the first complete mixed breed. The first complete Ragtag. Willow wahtched the egg With excitement etched in her face. The others too, had grown apprehensive. It was gettimg nearer every second, stars speckled in the sky, it was the color that me my it was nearing midnight. Her tail curled around Sludges' s her eyes raked the horizon, looking. "Look" she whisperd, excited. the others, except Octopus, turned around. Octopus, who had appeared read her mind, didn't turn around, as the other' shushed cries confirmed willow and his suspicions. "Frost, Snowflake!" " I didn't think they'd come..." Sludge mused quietly. Far off, over the trees, two dragons were flying through the mist. Their scales were so pale, that they looked like they has fallen off the moon. Coquina watched them fly Nearer. They had come! It was risky, she thought as she and the others walked to the edge of the platform. They knew what the skywings would do if they found them. But then, she thought they would be in deep trouble of Scarlet found them here, on the boarder of skywing territory, hatching this egg. snowflake landed first. her pale blue scales glitterd in the moonight, with an undertone of lavander. Strange strips of off-color scales were in her arms, legs and snout too. When her talons touched the mossy platform, they lit up as well. The other dragons moved back into formation as Frost landed. His scales were pure white, and he would have been invisible in the snow. Oddly enough the spines on his neck shrunk, splitting into three separate. The dragons closest to him shivered. His scales seemed to radiate wintertime, his eyes a piercing blue. There was no excited conversation this time. Lightning and Azure glanced at the sky in apprehension. The three moons were almost at their highest point and they seemed to still be missing a few dragons. There were gaps in the formation. Skywing, Seawing, Mud wing, Icewing. Two from each tribe. willow and Coquina were whispering anxously to each other. "Where are Lorette and Shard?" Willow asked in hushed tones her tail was curled around her talons nervously Willow said in hushed tones. her tail was curled anxiously around her front talons. “I’m not sure!” Coquina whispered “But they have to be here! Lorettae wouldn’t miss this. This was what she lived for!” Snowflake and Octopus were having a similar discussion. “No!” “YesI” “They wouldn’t miss this!” This is what we lived for for the past twenty years!” Octopus hissed quietly. “They are cowards.” Snowflake said coldly. “SILENCE!” Sludge sat up straight, ears cocked. The hushed conversation stopped. All that could be heard was the soft patter of rain as the the clouds decided that they couldn’t hold out for another minute. Than they heard it. The soft thumping of the SkyWing soldiers. “Get DOWN! Under the foliage!” Forst hissed, lifting the branches nearest to the mossy platform. The dragons rushed to sit on the branched, but Lightning reached for the egg. “No!” Azure grabbed his forearm. “It has to stay in the moonlight!” With a regretful glance over his shoulder, Lightning followed Azure to the hiding spot under the branches. Forst came after, letting the leaves fall behind him, giving them complete cover. Seconds later they heard the thumping of wings pass right next them. The drips of rain came through the uppermost branches, slowly soaking their scales. But they did not move for fear of the soldiers discovering them. As they passed, they heard snippets of conversation. “ . . . Talons of Peace.” It was starting to rain harder. “ . . . . kill. . . . stolen egg . . . Burn says she took care of it.” "Bah!” The other SkyWing began to talk. There appeared to be only two on patrol. “ . . . care of it? More likely the criminal smashed the egg himself and Burn took credit for it. You know how she likes killing things. . . .” The SkyWing voices passed. The cold rain was pouring now. Coquina peered out of a gap in the leaves. The egg was still there. Inwardly, she gave a sigh of relief. It was a miracle that they didn’t see it, so exposed to the moonlight as it was. She motioned to the others to come out, that the patrol was gone. They exited the covering of the tree. As they came out of the coverage, the downpour began to increase. They could barely see a few claw steps in front of them. Their wings were pushed down by the weight of the relentless downpour. But they could all see that the three silver moons were minutes, even seconds away from aligning at the highest point. They sat in formation, staring up through the rain at the floating orbs suspended in the midnight sky. For a few seconds, there was just rain, the moonlight, and the egg. And then, six shadows appeared, almost out of thin air. The shadow in the front grew closer. The moons were seconds away. The egg was moving, the tiny dragonet inside thrashing, trying to break the shell that held it confined. The dragons around the egg were frozen, like glass figures posed against the starlight. The first shadow landed on the platform next to the nest. It was a NightWing. “Lorettae!” There were gasps of relief, though they were not audible because of the falling rain. Behind her landed her mate, Shard, and four others. Two SandWing, two Rain Wing. Lorettae looked around at the dragons in the circle, then quickly up at the moons. “Quickly!” Lorettae hissed, just loud enough to be heard over the driving rain.”Places!” The Sand and RainWings raced to the edges of the moss platform. One, the Female SandWing, slipped on the soaked moss. “Mirage!” The Female RainWing reached to help her. “Mirage! Jamma!” Shard yelled. “Get to your places! “IT is happening!" The two rushed to their places. For a few seconds everything was silenced. Even the rain seemed to dim a little. The egg turned a startling silver. There was an intake of breath from all the dragons as a small crack appeared in the smooth shell like a ripple in a still pond. And that night, under the three moons and thousand stars, under glistening rain atop the highest tree in the Emerald Forest, a tiny dragonet hatched out of the silver egg. The cracks started at the top of the shell, spiraling down, until the silver egg, looking like a broken piece of moon fallen from the sky, Shattered into a million pieces. The amber dragonet was pounded by the raindrops. It looked around, at the treetops, up at the stars. Slowly it stood amidst the broken shards of silver. The dragons formed a tighter circle around it, spreading their wings to block the rain, to get a better view of their dragonet. A tiny MudWing looked up at them, eyes wide with curiosity. Gills fringed both sides of its neck, serrated claws that were perfect crescents pawed at the soaked moss. It looked up at them, its eyes a startling bronze and silver. Two silver scales, like teardrops crying for the lives of the dragons that had been lost in the many years of SandWing war, were just below the corners of her eyes. Three pointed barbs were set at the end of her tail, and there were thin glow strips on her snout, underbelly, wings, and tail. She opened her mouth, soft squawks were emitted as she tested her vocals. Two curved, sharp fangs were visible. Spreading her wings, the dragons say that they were massive for her minute size. She looked back at them, and her wing membrane turned a deep, glittering gold. “We need a name.” The male RainWing, NightTune, muttered softly. Just visible under the pale light were two shimmering scales, at the corners of his eyes. He gently bumped his snout against hers, and his eyes alighted on four mushrooms, their bright crimson color faded in the starlight.“Forest Shroom. We'll call her Forest Shroom.” Cobra, the male SandWing, nodded in approval, his large wings gently bowing under the heavy weight of the storm. NightTune’s pith scales lightened to a pale gray, pattern with stars like a reflection of a clear night sky. Lorettae smiled. The tiny dragon walked over to Octopus, her brow creased in sudden anxiety. “What is it?” Coquina asked. Lightning gazed questioningly at Forest Shroom. “What’s bothering her?” “She’s looking for other eggs! MudWings hatched first help their sibs out of their eggs!” Willow said suddenly, startling Azure so much she fell sideways, briefly allowing rain to enter the enclosure that they had created with their wings. Some of the raindrops that fell through the temporary gap hit her tiny scales. They splattered on the wings and spine on the tiny dragon, their icyness causing her to jump. The dragonet whirled around so fast that the dragons had no time to react. Flapping her large wings, Forest Shroom raced over Azure, talons scrabbling over her deep blue scales. Raindrops splattering her scales, she leaped off the mossy platform, going into a steep dive down to the forest floor. The dragons were frozen in horror for a brief moment, then raced to the edge of the platform. Rain pelted them from their talons to their snouts as they peered over the edge. They looked down, searching through the sheet of rain and thick leafy forest roof for the tiny broken body of their life’s work. But instead, they saw her flying, golden wings glinting, scales reflecting the three moons. Every time the dragonet fumbled in flight, threatening to plummet to her doom, the trees themselves reached out to her. Their branches reached to catch her, The leaves moved to cushion her. “A plant born.” Jamma said in awe. “No, a part plant born.” Lorettae corrected. Snowflake watched the tiny dragonet below them. The other part . . . who knew what it could possibly be? Only time would tell. Shard beckoned to the others, motioning them to follow him through the sheet of rain and thick foliage. They dove down, carefully watching the dragonets descent. The rain was lighter here, blocked by the leaves and branches. Forest Shroom’s talons hit the mossy dirt and she looked around, searching.Only The Night and IceWings knew what she had sensed, what she was looking for. Because they had hidden the others under in the forest, nestled in tree hollows and in mossy nests. And Forest Shroom had found them. The others watched as Forest Shroom approached an egg, in a small cluster of soft flowering moss. It, too, was turning silver, the tinge of starlike appearance was starting to creep onto the surface. Forest Shroom reached out and ran her talons over the glassy shell. Azure, Lightning, Coquina, Octopus, Sludge, Willow, Forst, Snowflake, Cobra, Mirage, Jamma, NightTune, Lorettae, and Shard sat in a reverent circle around the Dragonet and the Egg. She would now choose her sibs. There was a small gap in the leaves, allowing rain and moonlight to spill onto the egg, soaking it in water and light. The silver was creeping up the sides of the shell, slowly picking up speed. Forest Shroom pressed her ear to the shell, listening for something. And there, beneath the treetops, she sat underneath the the gap in the leaves and was soaked in the rain, her ear to the egg, listening, wondering. The dragons sat in silence. Suddenly, the dragonet seemed to hear something. She pressed her ear harder to the egg, her eyes scrunched up in concentration. A cloud moved out of the moon’s way, and with rain still falling, moonbeams spiraled down, hitting the egg - and the dragonet - directly, with only the dewdrops in the way. The eggs silver luster grew very fast, instantly covering it in a beautiful cloak of starlight. Forest Shroom’s eyes widened, and she pressed her ear to the shell once more. She backed up, out of the pillar of rain, before running at the egg. She spread her wings, and glided over to rest on top of the egg. She was going to hatch her sib. Her tiny claws grasped at the surface, scratching to no avail. Squeaking in frustration, she scratched harder, determined to help the dragonet inside. The dragons gasped as a tiny fracture appeared at the top of the egg. Forest Shroom, encouraged, dug her talons into one end of the crack, pulling her little paw down as hard as she could. With the rain in her eyes, she slowly cracked the egg down completely one side. Forest Shroom stepped back. The egg shook, vibrating from the inside. Silver reflections from the moon directly overhead bounced off the mirrored surface, causing fragments of crystal light to scatter all over the moss and trees. The sidelong fracture grew. It was hard to see through the rain, and the dragons squinted, watching, waiting, tails curled in apprehension. Forest Shroom, tiny and golden, sat down on the mossy dirt, next to the egg, and watched. She spread her wings, and a torrent of colors spiraled through the membrane. Gold, green, blue, silver, lavender, crimson, yellow. The crack widened. The egg, surrounded by light from the moon and stars, polished by the relentless pounding of the rain, sat in soaked moss, silver shell sparking. And then, the egg shook hard, one violent thrust against the confinement, and then the moonsilver egg shattered, pieces glinting. Forest Shroom’s eyes widened as she looked at the tiny dragonet, smaller even then she was. She spread her wings wider, and walked over to the tiny dragonet. He pushed her own wing membrane over the tiny dragon's head, protecting it from the rain. The group of dragons, the founders, they called themselves, could now see the dragonet clearly. Cobra stepped forward, wishing to see it closer, but, Forst stuck out his wing. “No,” he whispered, “Let them alone.” The new dragonet was female, and she spread her wings proudly, squeaking. Her turquoise-blue scales glinted like gems, catching the starlight, droplets running down their smooth surfaces. She looked like a tiny SeaWing, but with deliberate mistakes. Her membrane was strangely pale, tinged with blue. A RainWing frill stuck out behind her jaw, fluttering in the light breeze from the downpour. But her eyes, her eyes were beautiful. They glinted hazel, amber, and gold. She opened her tiny jaw, revealing two small fangs. She squeaked again.“A name.” Coquina said, looking at the tiny dragonet with a loving expression on her face. “What will we name her?” The SeaWing-like dragonet slowly stood up, hints of silver darting through her eyes. Her talons were small and perfectly curved, and they made small indents in the wet moss. She stepped forward, out of the moss nest,out from under the shelter of Forest Shroom’s wing. The rain was slowing from a hurricane-worthy torrent to a semi-downpour. It was a magical moment. The two new dragonets, the world’s future, surrounded by their new family. The moonlight streamed through the gap in the treetops, rain drizzled through the leaves. Fireflies danced around the branches, casting a warm glow around the woods. And Forest Shroom, with her wing around the new dragonet. The fireflies flit around them, like fallen stars trying to get back to their home in the velvet night. The dragonet walked toward the founders, Forest Shroom close behind. They stopped right in front of them, looking up at the big dragons. The tiny one reached out to touch Forst’s scales, but hesitated, looking up at him. Her eyes were large and curious, Gold and amber swirling in an entrancing dance. The others watched as her talons touched his scales. “Marsh.” Snowflake said quietly. “Yes.” replied Forst. He picked up Marsh with his left talon. “Ice Born immunity.” Marsh and Forest Shroom. The first true RagTags. “The other sibs . . .” wondered Sludge. Would she hatch any more? Indeed, that was the question. Would the royal family consist of only two? No, Forest Shroom and Marsh were rising. Wings spread, the two dragonets walked deep into the forest, raindrops spattering on jewel bright scales. The founders, with moonlight reflecting off their widened eyes, followed. The walked through the woods, feeling the occasional raindrop that slipped through the leafy shield. Fireflies danced through the tall trunks and reaching branches, leaved bright emerald and pale jade in color fringed the bark. Soft moss gave beneath their talons. At last, they stopped at an egg, a sliver of moonlight resting on its smooth surface. Forest Shroom once again pressed her ear to the shell, her eyes shut in concentration. She looked at Marsh, and it was as though they spoke without words. Forest Shroom turned back to the egg, and attacked to smooth shell. The moonlight sheen was only halfway up the shell when the first fracture appeared. She ran her talons down the side, scratching, biting. She stepped back, her work done. The egg shook, seeming surprised. it cracked, right at the top, breaking into five clean pieces. And what appeared to be a NightWing dragonet was sitting where the egg was moments earlier. It cawed, opening its tiny fangs. Lightning lifted it up. “Another female.” “Names?” Mirage said, casting her eyes around for ideas. Her eyes landed on the tree that the egg had been nestled in the roots of. “Pine.” she said, looking at Lorettae for confirmation. She nodded. NightTune looked down at the tiny dragonet, the tiniest so far. Scales black as obsidian glinted. RainWing frills fluttered by her jawbone, and her tail whipped around, showing remarkable strength and accuracy. Her violet eyes glinted in the starlight. “Forest Shroom, Marsh, Pine . . .” Willow mused. Forest Shroom was already moving again, tail whipping left to right. Marsh followed, and without a moment's hesitation, Pine followed too. They trecked deeper and deeper into the forest, closer to the mountain. “Why is she going so far back?” Cobra whispered to Snowflake. “She hatched Pine a little early, but back here, these eggs are not even close to hatching.” “Let her chose the sibs she wants.” Jamma sidled up next to Snowflake. “If any dragon can hatch a dragonet early and have it still live, It’s a BigWings.” The trio, closely followed by the founders, stopped next to a pile of leaves. Pine dove in, scattering leaves everywhere, revealing a small egg. Forest Shroom wiped off some dirt stuck to the side of the egg. The sound of rain grew, making it most possibly the most rainy day of the year. With Marsh and Pine looking on, Forest Shroom fractured the egg, batting it with her back claws. She bit the top, her teeth squeaking on the pale surface. Her talons dug deep, tearing off pieces of eggshell. She stepped back. There was no shaking this time. The dragonet was too young. Forest Shroom jumped forward, breaking pieces off in her talons. “A forced hatching! . . .” “So young. . . .” Soon, a small RainWing lay with its eyes closed on the moss. Forest Shroom stepped forward, and crouched down next to it. Her tail swept over to her throat, checking her pulse.Marsh walked over, and together they lifted the dragonet into a sitting position. The dragonet opened its eyes slowly, blinking in the light of the fireflies. One landed on her nose, and she let out a sneeze. It was more of a squeak. The founders sat silently through it all. Category:Fanfictions (Completed) Category:Fanfictions Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)